The Unknown Woman

The Unknown Woman Release Date: May 30, 2008

“The Unknown Woman” is Irena (Xenia Rappoport), an emigrant who fled Eastern Europe and has moved to a Northern Italian city. She lives amidst ghosts of the past and a search for the present, two planes of time that make up an intriguing puzzle. Who is Irena really? Little by little, her story unfolds. She easily fell prey to ruthless, unscrupulous men and was subjected to unspeakable brutalities and humiliations, the kind that can never be put to rest. Only one beautiful memory remains for Irena, a melancholic, heartrending lost love. The mysterious woman seems to have a very precise motive when she tries to find work as a cleaning lady. From the window of her apartment, she spies intently upon the building across the street. Though Irena’s job is to clean and polish the stairs of that building, her true aim is to get close to a family living there. The Adachers are in the goldsmith business. There is the wife Valeria (Claudia Gerini), her husband Donato (Pierfrancesco Favino), and their little girl Tea (Clara Dossena). Nothing will stop Irena from getting herself a job in their household. Not even murder.